Entrepreneurial Women: Cathy Wagner of One Stop Internet Business Services

An Interview

Wagner soon realized she was spending good money after bad to promote the company's product and decided it was time for education. She scoured the web for information on how to start a business. She checked out books from the library and became absorbed in learning about marketing.

A few months later, Wagner contacted her sister, who created a simple web site design and showed her how to make changes to it. She spent countless hours researching how to write effective sales copy, build a web site, and utilize marketing techniques. When she finished, she had created One Stop Internet Business Services, a free resource center for internet marketers.

"A lesson I quickly learned was writing effective ad copy is a talent, or an art." Wagner flips through a stack of sales copy written for her clients. "It's taken me six years to get to this point. I had no formal training as a writer. In fact, I didn't even realize I could write until I started One Stop."

Wagner began by writing advertisements and later went on to write articles about internet marketing and business opportunities, as well as providing general knowledge. In recent years, she has written several electronic books for entrepreneurs.

Wagner extracts a folder from her desk drawer and retrieves a piece of paper. She glances at the papers and states, "This was my first attempt at writing an ad. It's horrible, but I keep it to remind myself just how far I've come. Most people who are new to internet marketing feel overwhelmed and confused. They don't have a clue about writing ads and become discouraged because their ads aren't getting a response. That's where I come in."

In 2003, Wagner stumbled across an online business networking forum. "Let me tell you, that was an exciting day for me!" Wagner's eyes light up as she tells how this event helped to launch One Stop. "I discovered a camaraderie that I never knew existed. Here, I found a group of people who were doing the same thing as me. I really enjoyed meeting and talking with other people. The fellowship helped build my confidence because I realized that people really appreciated the information I was sharing in the forum."